Siphandone, Lao PDR’s third Ramsar site?

Just before it flows into Cambodia, the Mekong braids extensively into a maze of channels and islands known as Siphandone or “Four Thousand Islands”. Numerous islands and islets are created by the splitting of the riverbed into a labyrinth of channels, which reach a maximum width of about 13 km. The area is characterized by waterfalls, rapids, and seasonally flooded riverine habitats. It is among the most extraordinary natural sites of Lao PDR, and an exceptional riverine landscape.

Siphandone map in Lao PDR © Google Earth

Siphandone is home to several species assessed as Critically Endangered by IUCN including the Giant ibis, White-shouldered ibis, and White-rumped vulture, which has disappeared from most of Southeast Asia. Endangered turtle species also inhabit the wetland, including Cantor’s giant soft-shell turtle, Big-headed turtle, and the Asiatic soft-shelled turtle.

In 2011, IUCN published a book and a video of Siphandone to support its nomination as a Ramsar site. But it was never nominated, perhaps because of concerns over the impact of the 260 MW Don Sahong dam, which was built between 2016 and 2020 on one of the main channels that form the Khone Falls. More recently, WWF has published extensively on Siphandone’s natural and cultural values.  

In 2023, MONRE’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) expressed interest in designating Siphandone as a Ramsar site. In September 2023, DWR organised a training session on the Ramsar Convention and site designation for government officials and in March 2024 a consultation on Siphandone was held in Champassak Province chaired by the provincial vice-governor. 

In November 2024, the government selected Siphandone as its focal landscape for a GEF International Waters project to conserve the fisheries of the Lower Mekong. Siphandone is adjacent to the Stung Treng-Kratie landscape in Cambodia. A 40-km long stretch of the Mekong in Stung Treng is already a Ramsar site.

The Cambodian government has expressed interest in nominating the Upper Mekong as a World Heritage Site (WHS) and a Tentative List submission has been drafted but not yet submitted to UNESCO. A long-term possibility would be a joint nomination of the Siphandone-Stung Treng-Kratie stretch of the Mekong as a WHS. It has huge tourism potential and would be the first freshwater WHS in Asia. 

The next step is to nominate Siphandone as a Lao PDR’s third Ramsar site.

Potential Ramsar site boundaries and example management zones at Siphandone © IUCN, PAFO, DAFO